Extremely slow wi-fi on USA model of 7X?

[Shark974]

So I bought the USA version of 7x (I live in USA) Saturday. For the most part what it brings is simply amazing for 199, although the screen viewing angles could be better.

However an issue has emerged, slow wi-fi at home. I understand the 7X only has 2.4 ghz wifi. I'm not sure if this is the problem, but for whatever reason the phone consistently speed tests around 2.6-2.8 mbps on my 50 mbps speed home internet. My Galaxy S6 in contrast tests at 50 mbps as you'd expect. It's not just tests either, instagram and snapchat load slow on the 7x over wifi and podcasts download slow as well. A couple times the 7x has speed tested at ~20 mbps for whatever reason, still well below 50. But mostly it tests at 2.6-2.8 mbps over wi-fi.

I live in a suburb, not an apt or anything.

I guess my question is, is this because of 2.4ghz? Or is it a bug that could be fixed in a future software update? Or maybe even just my particular handset is faulty? Should I return it and get a different phone?

 

[br77494]

You might try testing with mobile data only and then with wifi only to see the difference. Also double check to make sure your S6 is forced on the 2.4 GHz band. Some devices will default automatically to the fastest connection unless you disable this feature. You might even test both phones side by side. On your router gateway can you see the network connection speeds for devices connected to it?

The 2.4 GHz band data speeds will be significantly slower than the 5 GHz bands, which can carry more information. I just got 57mbps down on my 5 GHz and about 12 mbps down on my 2.4 GHz band with my Mate 9. But there's many factors (distance to the router, other traffic on your network, and congestion...) that can contribute. The 2.4 GHz band can be busy place with lots of interferrence.

Interesting that the 7x would get decent speeds at times, but not others. Makes it look like it might be a bandwith issue on your network.

 

[Shark974]

Well turns out my router is a linksys e1200. Apparently it's only 2.4 ghz. So the whole 5ghz vs 2.4 thing was a red herring by me.

Also another guy on a forum said he was getting 50 mbps on his 7x.

Looks like I have a defective unit somehow. That's odd, though.

Edit: Literally just after I wrote this I had the idea to hard power off the device. Cause I was thinking of even a factory reset but I didn't want to go that far. what do you know directly after reboot it was pulling 47 mbps down as it should.

dont know, I'm gonna keep an eye on it. I hope it's not a bug where after the phone has been on a long time the wi-fi slows down. I know I shut the phone down several times at work every day too, so it's not like it never gets rebooted.

Will monitor.

 

[br77494]

Well turns out my router is a linksys e1200. Apparently it's only 2.4 ghz. So the whole 5ghz vs 2.4 thing was a red herring by me.

Also another guy on a forum said he was getting 50 mbps on his 7x.

Looks like I have a defective unit somehow. That's odd, though.

Edit: Literally just after I wrote this I had the idea to hard power off the device. Cause I was thinking of even a factory reset but I didn't want to go that far. what do you know directly after reboot it was pulling 47 mbps down as it should.

dont know, I'm gonna keep an eye on it. I hope it's not a bug where after the phone has been on a long time the wi-fi slows down. I know I shut the phone down several times at work every day too, so it's not like it never gets rebooted.

Will monitor.

Wow! But probably not too surprising considering it's a brand new device. Did it receive any updates when you booted it up?

Hope you continue to see higher speeds and the 7x works out well for you overall. How do you like the extra screen space?

 

[Shark974]

Wow! But probably not too surprising considering it's a brand new device. Did it receive any updates when you booted it up?

Hope you continue to see higher speeds and the 7x works out well for you overall. How do you like the extra screen space?

well here the next day, as soon as I woke up the phone was back to it's old ways. It's also throttling over 4G too...it wont pull over 2mbps's there. Not sure how long it's been doing that.

So definitely a big problem. I guess I will go to the next step a hard reset. But even if that works I'll be wary that it's a permanent fix. Besides that will mean I have to re input all my info etc which is a big pain, took me a while to transfer all pics etc over to this phone.

I guess it's looking likely I'll have to send it back.

Shame, overall for 199 I love the rest of the phone.

Anybody else with USA version have these issues?

 

[dpham00]

Have you tried to do a factory data reset? Make sure you backup data first. You would need to do a factory data reset before doing a return anyway

 

[anon(13322)]

I saw your comment on slickdeals. I just discovered a problem: when Bluetooth and wifi are turned on, my speeds are bad. When Bluetooth is turned off, my wifi speeds are great! OnePlus users were having this issue as well, and OnePlus said the issue had to do with wifi and Bluetooth using the same antenna. I will attach some pictures showing what I mean. 1) Wifi on and Bluetooth off 2) Wifi on, Bluetooth on 3) LTE on and Bluetooth on 4) LTE on and Bluetooth off

All of these were done connected to the same Speedtest server.


So, as you can see, Bluetooth is the issue.

 

[Shark974]

Wow, the bluetooth thing was it! Immediately after turning bluetooth off my speed shot up to 35-45mbps. with Bluetooth on it consistently runs just under 3 mbps.

Not sure how to feel about this. there are definitely instances I could imagine of bluetooth and wifi being used simultaneously. For example, i'm watching a youtube video in the kitchen on the phone but want decent sound so I bluetooth to speaker. I'm regularly connected to my JBP flip 3 in the kitchen. For a podcast it shouldn't matter, I'm rarely using the phone while listening to podcasts at home. However the youtube video thing could be a real issue. Could be avoided somewhat by using a auxiliary cable in those instances instead, though less convenient.

Does the oneplus 5t do the same thing??? I was/am considering to purchase that phone...or is just older One Plus models?

Definitely seems like a QC oversight IMO.

Again, not quite sure what to think. Glad I know the root of the issue now though, and didn't waste time returning it...

 

[br77494]

I saw your comment on slickdeals. I just discovered a problem: when Bluetooth and wifi are turned on, my speeds are bad. When Bluetooth is turned off, my wifi speeds are great! OnePlus users were having this issue as well, and OnePlus said the issue had to do with wifi and Bluetooth using the same antenna. I will attach some pictures showing what I mean. 1) Wifi on and Bluetooth off 2) Wifi on, Bluetooth on 3) LTE on and Bluetooth on 4) LTE on and Bluetooth off

All of these were done connected to the same Speedtest server.


So, as you can see, Bluetooth is the issue.//uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171224/b1a5ba8fd90a5a6773fc78348fbd525c.jpg//uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171224/cbe63faa8adaf57e22dc22609acd8985.jpg//uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171224/6df7a13467d174732bb2da8a00cc5977.jpg//uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171224/a6b13072734aa5bf321c1780ebca2651.jpg

Wow! So, is this something that can be resolved with a software update (bluetooth drivers) that properly prioritizes signals to the antenna. How would you know if there are separate antennas in our devices?

 

[anon(13322)]

Wow! So, is this something that can be resolved with a software update (bluetooth drivers) that properly prioritizes signals to the antenna. How would you know if there are separate antennas in our devices?

I did a quick Google search and quite a few devices experience this issue. OnePlus, Redmi, LG Nexus 5X, Galaxy S3, Chromebooks and so on.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Xiaomi/comments/4x1m44/wifi_extremely_slow_on_redmi_3s/

https://www.reddit.com/r/AndroidQue...nfully_slow_wifi_on_nexus_5x_if_bluetooth_is/

https://www.reddit.com/r/GalaxyS3/comments/22yufx/turning_on_bluetooth_slows_down_wifi/

https://www.reddit.com/r/LGG3/comments/3m7pb1/wifi_extremely_slow_when_bluetooth_is_on_vs985/

https://www.reddit.com/r/GooglePixe...ing_very_slow_download_speeds_over_wifi_when/

https://www.reddit.com/r/AndroidWear/comments/3ltzxt/has_anyone_had_problems_with_bluetooth/

Interesting answer in one of those threads:

The Bluetooth and Wi-Fi share the same 2.4GHz antenna. They cannot transmit simultaneously. A 5GHz band Wi-Fi router should allow you to listen to your (2.4GHz) Bluetooth headset and wireless simultaneously without delay.

Another answer I saw:

This issue is posted over and over again. And I can only repeat myself: Wifi and BT share the same antenna/spectrum. The issue is only resolved if you use a 5ghz (a or ac) access point, then you can have full speed and bluetooth at the same time. This issue is not limited to this device, it also occurs on many notebooks and other phones.

---------------

Basically, this is the downside of having a 2.4ghz device. If Honor wouldn't have cheap out and added 5ghz, we wouldn't have experiencing this problem. It's 2017, this shouldn't be optional anymore. My guess is the Honor 8X next year will include 5ghz wifi and NFC.

 

[Shark974]

What's bad about the bluetooth causing slowdown in the wifi case of the Honor 7X, or at least my Honor 7x with my wifi setup, is it's throttling all the way down to about 3 mbps.

If it was like the other guy's example (with a different phone), and throttling from 50 to 25 mpbs, I wouldn't even be worried about it, as 25 mbps should be plenty.

So yeah there's a big difference in severity of the issue between throttling to 25 mbps (some phones apparently) and all the way to 3 mbps (my Honor 7X).

I do have a question though, how would a 5ghz router solve the problem? I dont understand it. If the phone only has a 2.4 antenna, how can a 5 ghz router help?

the phone is good enough for the price though that even with the issue I'm most likely keeping it. that and it would be a lot of trouble and expense to return.

If a 5ghz router would alleviate the problem and i can find one for like 40 bucks or less, it would probably be worth it to me to solve the issue. My current router ias some linksys I picked up on clearance for like 19 bucks, and it's been solid and reliable for a long long time. So cheap doesn't mean bad.

also, my brother has one of those expensive nighthawk routers (I assume this has 5ghz). i was over at his house the other night showing him the issue. the phone was definitely performing different. i dont recall it dropping below about 10 mbps, but OTOH that's no great shakes. Still well above what mine was getting. Several times it would jump to ~50 mbps (although he has 200 mbps internet) but not consistently. TBH I dont even know if bluetoth was on but it should have been since it's my default. This was before i knew bluetooth was causing the issue.

 

[Shark974]

I also found this somewhere in my googles about this issue:

Bluetooth is designed to handle interference. It's clear, slow, short range, can be pre-empted, etc. It works well with 2.4 GHz WiFi equipment. WiFi can send pre-emption packets (and BT devices are within spec to understand WiFi RTS and CTS packets), it can even be the same chip handling both BT and WiFi. WiFi can go into "collaboration" mode with BT, where the WiFi will leave deliberate gaps for Bluetooth to use.

It still seems like maybe some sort of design flaw or software flaw quite possibly, as high performance 2.4 ghz wifi+bluetooth obviously is achievable, for example my prior S6 handled it with no problem.

Maybe it is something they can fix or improve with an update.

 

[dpham00]

I saw your comment on slickdeals. I just discovered a problem: when Bluetooth and wifi are turned on, my speeds are bad. When Bluetooth is turned off, my wifi speeds are great! OnePlus users were having this issue as well, and OnePlus said the issue had to do with wifi and Bluetooth using the same antenna. I will attach some pictures showing what I mean. 1) Wifi on and Bluetooth off 2) Wifi on, Bluetooth on 3) LTE on and Bluetooth on 4) LTE on and Bluetooth off

All of these were done connected to the same Speedtest server.


So, as you can see, Bluetooth is the issue.//uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171224/b1a5ba8fd90a5a6773fc78348fbd525c.jpg//uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171224/cbe63faa8adaf57e22dc22609acd8985.jpg//uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171224/6df7a13467d174732bb2da8a00cc5977.jpg//uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171224/a6b13072734aa5bf321c1780ebca2651.jpg

That really sucks. Looks like they took a shortcut in the design. If you need Bluetooth a lot then this phone might not be for you then

 

[dpham00]

Wow, the bluetooth thing was it! Immediately after turning bluetooth off my speed shot up to 35-45mbps. with Bluetooth on it consistently runs just under 3 mbps.

Not sure how to feel about this. there are definitely instances I could imagine of bluetooth and wifi being used simultaneously. For example, i'm watching a youtube video in the kitchen on the phone but want decent sound so I bluetooth to speaker. I'm regularly connected to my JBP flip 3 in the kitchen. For a podcast it shouldn't matter, I'm rarely using the phone while listening to podcasts at home. However the youtube video thing could be a real issue. Could be avoided somewhat by using a auxiliary cable in those instances instead, though less convenient.

Does the oneplus 5t do the same thing??? I was/am considering to purchase that phone...or is just older One Plus models?

Definitely seems like a QC oversight IMO.

Again, not quite sure what to think. Glad I know the root of the issue now though, and didn't waste time returning it...

Not sure if this is a qc issue more of a design limitation... I am assuming that this was done to save money in manufacturing

 

[dpham00]

I did a quick Google search and quite a few devices experience this issue. OnePlus, Redmi, LG Nexus 5X, Galaxy S3, Chromebooks and so on.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Xiaomi/comments/4x1m44/wifi_extremely_slow_on_redmi_3s/

https://www.reddit.com/r/AndroidQue...nfully_slow_wifi_on_nexus_5x_if_bluetooth_is/

https://www.reddit.com/r/GalaxyS3/comments/22yufx/turning_on_bluetooth_slows_down_wifi/

https://www.reddit.com/r/LGG3/comments/3m7pb1/wifi_extremely_slow_when_bluetooth_is_on_vs985/

https://www.reddit.com/r/GooglePixe...ing_very_slow_download_speeds_over_wifi_when/

https://www.reddit.com/r/AndroidWear/comments/3ltzxt/has_anyone_had_problems_with_bluetooth/

Interesting answer in one of those threads:

The Bluetooth and Wi-Fi share the same 2.4GHz antenna. They cannot transmit simultaneously. A 5GHz band Wi-Fi router should allow you to listen to your (2.4GHz) Bluetooth headset and wireless simultaneously without delay.

Another answer I saw:

This issue is posted over and over again. And I can only repeat myself: Wifi and BT share the same antenna/spectrum. The issue is only resolved if you use a 5ghz (a or ac) access point, then you can have full speed and bluetooth at the same time. This issue is not limited to this device, it also occurs on many notebooks and other phones.

---------------

Basically, this is the downside of having a 2.4ghz device. If Honor wouldn't have cheap out and added 5ghz, we wouldn't have experiencing this problem. It's 2017, this shouldn't be optional anymore. My guess is the Honor 8X next year will include 5ghz wifi and NFC.

I am not so sure... at least not at the $200 price point. They have to lose something to get that price, imo

 

[dpham00]

What's bad about the bluetooth causing slowdown in the wifi case of the Honor 7X, or at least my Honor 7x with my wifi setup, is it's throttling all the way down to about 3 mbps.

If it was like the other guy's example (with a different phone), and throttling from 50 to 25 mpbs, I wouldn't even be worried about it, as 25 mbps should be plenty.

So yeah there's a big difference in severity of the issue between throttling to 25 mbps (some phones apparently) and all the way to 3 mbps (my Honor 7X).

I do have a question though, how would a 5ghz router solve the problem? I dont understand it. If the phone only has a 2.4 antenna, how can a 5 ghz router help?

the phone is good enough for the price though that even with the issue I'm most likely keeping it. that and it would be a lot of trouble and expense to return.

If a 5ghz router would alleviate the problem and i can find one for like 40 bucks or less, it would probably be worth it to me to solve the issue. My current router ias some linksys I picked up on clearance for like 19 bucks, and it's been solid and reliable for a long long time. So cheap doesn't mean bad.

also, my brother has one of those expensive nighthawk routers (I assume this has 5ghz). i was over at his house the other night showing him the issue. the phone was definitely performing different. i dont recall it dropping below about 10 mbps, but OTOH that's no great shakes. Still well above what mine was getting. Several times it would jump to ~50 mbps (although he has 200 mbps internet) but not consistently. TBH I dont even know if bluetoth was on but it should have been since it's my default. This was before i knew bluetooth was causing the issue.

A 5ghz capable router won't help, unfortunately. because the honor 7x doesn't support Wi-Fi 5ghz, there is no way for you to use the 5ghz wifi channel.

 

[VDDuong]

I can confirmed this on my new Honor 7X. Wifi speed drop almost in half with Bluetooth on. It maybe annoying but I just toggle Bluetooth on/off as needed on top pull down.

 

[Aceroller]

Is this the same on the 6X?

 

[Steve Clemons]

Doessnt anyone watch the news?

This is happening to me and a friend as well. Started last week and now neither of us can pickup the 5g signal anymore and 1mb/256 is now the max immediately following server updates. Huawei will tell you on it isnt on theeir end but the right employ will tell you that the US is joining other countries phasing huawei completely out. Some already have gotten rid of them but it is widely believed that comcast/xfinity and At&t have regionally started making these changes to get people not to want a "junk phone" . Its been said by US officials and now its starting to happen.

Sounds like a conspiracy theory but just watch presidential news conference and look at other Nato countries and what they are or are going to do.

Goodbye Huawei,
I nelieve you we just have a lunatic running things.